Selling your house tip - Kitchen Clutter

A full counter top and items on the floor will say, "this kitchen is small"!

There are many things you will need to pay attention to when selling your home. In this post we are going to cover only one, but it is an important  one. Your kitchen. We all know that the kitchen is one of the most important, and most used rooms in every home. There are some things that you will want to do to that will make a good impression on potential buyers.

Remove everything off of the counters - Find a good place where you can store everything, even the toaster. :) If you don't have the room in your cupboards, maybe start packing up stuff that you  rarely use or can get by without for a bit. You want to avoid stuffing your cabinets because many of the people walking through will open them up to see the inside. You want it to look nice when they do.

Food pantry - In your food pantry let your canned goods and other food inventory go down to the essential goods that you will need. A pantry that is chock full of food may seem that it is not big enough. The less cluttered it looks, the better the impression.

Under the kitchen sink - Here is one many people forget, but is also a place that many people will look during walk throughs. Again declutter. Take everything out and give it a good cleaning. Get rid of anything that you will not need and try to keep just one of what you do need. While you are under there see if there are any signs of leaks that need to be fixed.

Appliances - keeping your appliances clean will also go a long ways towards a good impression. Keep the stove top clean. Every time you use it be sure and clean up any spots or food that was spilled. For the refrigerator, again keep the essentials inside of it. A full fridge may look small to potential buyers. On the outside keep all finger prints cleaned off as well.

It's MN State Fair Time!

It is hard to think of August and not think about the great Minnesota get together, Aka The MN State Fair. The MN State Fair is the 2nd largest state fair in the country attracting over 1.6 million people every year. How many of us have great memories both as a child and as an adult of going to the Fair? If you are like me you find yourself telling your children about what you used to do at the Fair as you walk around the grounds with your family. (Yes, they just roll their eyes, but gosh darn it, they are going to hear it, right? Ha!)
So what is new at the Fair this year? Let's take a look at just a few.

• In the Kidway there are 2 new rides that should be a hit. Jumping Jumbo's and Down on the Farm Tractor Ride. 
• An inflatable sculpture that you can walk through called the "Luminarium".
• In the mighty Midway there are no less than 7 new rides for your older kids and mom and dad.
• There is a giant sandbox now where mom and dad can take a load off while still keeping the little one's entertained.
• Boys and girls ages 5 to 15 can test their skills when they tackle The Boy Scouts Adventure Summit.
• Some new foods to try this year are camel burgers, bacon ice cream, cereal  ice cream,  cranberry wontons, classic walleye roll, and red velvet funnel cake, just to name a few. Are you hungry yet?

Head over to the MN State Fair website if you want to see all the changes, admission prices and shuttle bus service. We would love to hear about your experiences at the State Fair so feel free to comment and tell us about them. See you at the Fair!

Real Estate Market Continues to Look Promising.

In the Twin Cities we have had a very hot summer, and the real estate market, although maybe not red hot, has been continuing to show signs that it may be in recovery mode. Buyers taking advantage of great price levels has been coupled with a boost in seller confidence over last year at this time. With both sides activity levels being stronger, it has given new life to the real estate market for 2012. Places like NE Minneapolis, Columbia Heights, Fridley and New Brighton are seeing good sales as people are migrating back to the cities and close suburbs. With gas once again closing in on $4 a gallon, some commuters are tired of monthly fuel expenditures that exceed all their house utilities combined. With all that the cities and close suburbs have to offer as far as entertainment, great places to eat, transportation and parks, it only makes sense to want to live here. We have good momentum now in the market. Let's hope we can keep this rolling right into 2013! So far. So good.

Grandpa's Ice Cream in Fridley. Biz of the month!

With as hot as the summer has been this year, has anything sounded better than delicious premium ice cream? That is exactly what you get when you go to Grandpa's Ice Cream, located in Fridley at 1258 E. Moore Lake Drive. Grandpa's Ice Cream was opened by Kathy and Mick Simmons in 2005 and has developed a loyal fan base, as people in the area find out about their 32 flavors of wonderful ice cream, along with their malts, shakes, sundaes and yummy banana splits. Many of their flavors have come from suggestions from their customers, and end up being best sellers. So next time you are out and about in the Fridley area, stop by Grandpa's Ice Cream and treat yourself to great ice cream and great customer service! You may even run into Pete or John there!

This just in! Kathy has told us she would like to offer a special deal for our readers! Click Here!